Tipping with Americans Vs Brits on board

 

We were actually followed out of a restaurant in Manhattan once by our waiter after I tipped 10% - because it was really weak-ass service, we'd been living over here almost 5 years by this point so I was fully aware what I should tip and what to expect service-wise. He shouted and swore at for being cheap Brit blankity-blanks - but when I laid out in detail the many screw-ups he'd made when serving us and asked him if he felt that he still deserved a full tip it took the wind out of his sails! Since then I've made a point of speaking with any bad waitrons as to WHY they are getting less than the norm, even in places we don't plan to return to, just in case they do assume 'cheap Brit' is why they got a bad tip and never improve...

 

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We had dinner in a well known restaurant in Manhattan. The service during the first half of the meal was good, during the second half it was non-existent. We always tip 20% (as long as the service is what we expect), so I took the first half service and planned 20%, took the second half at 0% and averaged it to 10%. We dropped the money on the table and headed for the door but stopped to tell the manager exactly why we left 10%. We wanted to make sure he didn't feel we were a couple of hicks from out of town and didn't understand how much to tip!

On another occasion, my son (who worked as a waiter) and I had Thanksgiving dinner in a very nice (and expensive) Manhattan steakhouse. The service was abysmal! When the waiter FINALLY got around to coming back to our table at the end of the meal, I said "Joe! I was going to send you FLOWERS!" He smiled and said "Really?!" I responded "Yes. I thought you died!".

When we were presented with the bill, I took out a postcard and wrote "Joe, my son is a waiter. We always tip 20% for service. But how do I calculate a tip based on NO SERVICE?" I told my son "As soon as I drop this payment on the table, get up and get out of here fast .... I don't want a scene!"

As for tipping on a cruise, regardless of nationality, there's a reason for the saying: "When in Rome ......"

. We dropped the money on the table and headed for the door but stopped to tell the manager exactly why we left 10%. We wanted to make sure he didn't feel we were a couple of hicks from out of town and didn't understand how much to tip!

Had a similar experience in the States ( very very rare, cos service is generally way better than UK or Europe) and left nothing, despite knowing the US tipping culture.

Made the same point to the manager !!

One thing about a less-structured tipping culture is that servers can compare what tips they get with those received by colleagues, so even if nobody comments servers know whether folk are happy with their service.

JB :)